Dirty Dozen #11
Using age as a reason for not doing something you want to do is no longer a valid excuse. We may have regrets about the things we didn’t do, but is it possible to do them now?
You may not climb the highest mountain, swim the deepest seas, or go skydiving, even though many people over 90 have.
I’ll bet unfilled dreams are still floating around in your imagination that age is not a barrier to achieving, but the belief that you are too old prevents you from trying. You may not be able to do them the same way you would have when you were younger, but can you do them differently?
Old is not so old anymore. We live longer and lead more active lives after retirement than previous generations. The Rolling Stones and many other performers in their 80s continue to perform on stage. Martha Stewart is over 80 and still made the cover of Sports Illustrated. I went on a world cruise a few years ago, and the average age is 82.
Age is a mindset. We used to joke about being “over the hill at 40,” but today, at 40, you’re barely starting the climb. People in their 30s and 40s can believe they are too old to make career changes and stay in a job they hate for another 30 years.
Stability and loyalty were once valued, and you were seen as a “job hopper” if you changed jobs too often. But did you know that people today change jobs on average every five years and are more likely to change careers entirely at age 39?
Did you know that half of all new business owners are over 55? Many are taking their experience, skills, and wisdom gained from working all those years and starting a consulting business or buying a franchise.
The number of divorces among older married couples who once stayed in unhealthy relationships because they believed they were too old to start over are deciding to spend their golden years alone. The “gray divorce” is becoming more common, and the number of senior dating sites is growing.
I started college as an “older” student at 29, before going to college at any age was acceptable. Today, the average age of graduate students is 35.
Getting older is getting younger. Research shows that people in their 70s are the happiest and most content. If we stay healthy, we can have a Phase 3 or even a Phase 4 where approval doesn’t matter as much anymore. We feel more comfortable saying this is who I am, what I want to do, and who I want to have in my life.
There’s a saying that when you’re in your twenties, you’re so concerned with what people think; when you’re in your forties, you don’t care what people think; and when you’re in your sixties, you realize that no one was even thinking about you because they were too concerned with what you were thinking about them.
You’re not going to be any younger than you are today. You don’t want to look back five years from today and regret not doing what you now think you are too old to do.
You can make the rest of your life the best of your life no matter how old you are.
ritaburgettmartell.com 